Angel of the Presence

In some Judeo-Christian traditions, the Angel of the Presence / Face (lit. "faces", Hebrew: Mal'ak ha-Panim or Mal'akh ha-Panim, מלאך הפנים) or Angel of his presence / face (Hebrew: Mal'ak Panayw or Mal'akh Panav, מַלְאַךְ פָּנָיו) refers to an entity variously considered angelic or else identified with God himself.

The phrase occurs in Isaiah 63:9, which states that, throughout the history of Israel, God has loved and been merciful to that nation and shared in its distresses, saving Israel with "the angel of his presence".[1] The Septuagint translation of the Book of Isaiah emphasizes that this term is simply a way of referring to God, not a created angel.[2]

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A related term is "angel of his Presence" used just once, in Isaiah 63:9. There it says that throughout the history of Israel, God has loved and been merciful to that nation and shared in its distresses, saving Israel with "the angel of his presence".[7]

Isaiah 63:9 In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence (מַלְאַךְ פָּנָיו) saved them:

Some theologians believe that the Septuagint translation (ἄγγελος ἀλλ᾽ αὐτὸς κύριος) demonstrates that "angel of his presence" is simply a way of referring to God, not a regular or created angel. "Not an elder or an angel, but the Lord Himself saved them..." is a current Septuagint translation.[8]

In the second century BCE Book of Tobit, which is regarded as a canonical by Catholics and Orthodox Christians, Raphael is described as one of the seven angels who see God's glory: "I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who stand ready and enter before the glory of the Lord."[9] In the Pseudepigrapha, in the Book of Jubilees, the Angel of the Presence explains to Moses the history of Israel.[10] Jubilees depicts this entity as one of God's special agents and does not provide him with a specific name.[11] In the Testament of Judah, Judah states that he has received blessing from the Angel of the Presence.[12] The Second Book of Enoch identifies Uriel as the Angel of the Presence or else as one of the Angels of the Presence.[13]

In the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke, the priest Zechariah is visited by an angel. After Zechariah receives a prophecy about the birth of John the Baptist, the angel identifies himself: "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God. . . ."[14] Commentators have interpreted this statement to imply high rank. For example Matthew Henry writes "He is Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, an immediate attendant upon the throne of God. The prime ministers of state in the Persian court are described by this, that they saw the king's face".[15] Gabriel is not called an archangel in the Bible, but is so called in Intertestamental period sources like the Book of Enoch.